Ablaq
Origins
The ablaq decorative technique is thought to maybe be a derivative from the ancient Byzantine Empire, whose architecture used alternate sequential runs of light colored ashlar stone and darker colored orange brick.[3] The first clearly recorded use of ablaq masonry is found in repairs to the north wall of the Great Mosque of Damascus in 1109.[3]
The technique may have originated in Syria, where the local stone supply may have encouraged the use of alternating courses of light and dark stone. In the southern part of Syria there is abundance of black basalt as well as white-colored limestone. The supplies of each are about equal, so it was natural that masonry techniques of balanced proportions were used.[3]
Use in Islamic architecture
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, originally built in the late 7th century during the Umayyad period, features ablaq light and dark stone voussoirs in the arches of its inner colonnade.[6][7] The origins of the marble ablaq treatments at the Dome of the Rock are controversial, with some scholars theorizing them to be from the original construction, and some saying they were later additions (and differing then as to the dates and identity of the builders).[4][6] The alternating red and white masonry in the voussoirs of arches at the Great Mosque of Córdoba – built in the late 8th century and expanded up to the 10th century – is another early example of such a technique, which could be related to earlier examples in Jerusalem and Damascus that the Umayyad rulers of Córdoba were familiar with.[6] Andrew Petersen, a scholar of Islamic art and archeology, states that ablaq (alternating courses of white limestone and black basalt) is "a characteristic of the monumental masonry of Damascus."[8]
Ablaq masonry appears in some 12th and 13th-century buildings in
Ablaq became a prominent feature of Mamluk architecture in Syria, Egypt and Palestine in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this period, black and white stone were often used as well as red brick in recurring rows, giving a three colored striped building.[3] Ablaq masonry supplemented other decorative techniques such as the use of "joggled" voussoirs in arches, where stones of alternating colours were cut into interlocking shapes.[11]
In 1266 the Mamluk sultan
In
Use in Christian Europe
The technique of alternating light and dark stone constructions also appeared in Christian Europe around the mid 12th century, but it is uncertain whether this development occurred independently or was influenced by existing examples in Syria.[3] Notable examples include the 13th-century cathedrals of Monza, Siena, and Orvieto, as well as a palace in Genoa.[3]
References
- ISBN 978-0-500-20305-7.
- ^ Rabbat, Nasser O. "10- The Emergence of the Citadel as Royal Residence". Aga Khan program for Islamic architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-21332-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-944940-08-2. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ISBN 978-90-6831-683-4. Archived from the originalon February 15, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-000-41086-0.
- ISBN 9789004161658.
- ^ Petersen, Andrew (October 3, 2011). "Damascus – history, arts and architecture". Islamic Arts & Architecture. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ISBN 9780195309911.
- ISBN 978-1-351-90628-9.
- ISBN 978-0-415-21332-5.
- ^ Petersen, Andrew (September 9, 2011). "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – Architecture & History". Islamic Art & Architecture. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-415-21332-5.
- ISBN 9781851496044.
- ISBN 978-1-83860-552-0.
- ISBN 9780195309911.
- ISBN 978-0-415-21332-5.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-5835-2.
- ISBN 978-3-98594-283-1.
- ^ Allen, Terry (1986). "4". A Classical Revival in Islamic Architecture. Wiesbaden.
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Bibliography
- Allen, Terry (2008). Pisa and the Dome of the Rock (electronic publication) (2nd ed.). Occidental, California: ISBN 978-0-944940-08-2. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- Petersen, Andrew (1996). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture (PDF). Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-21332-5.
Further reading
- Rabbat, Nasser O. (1995). "The citadel of Cairo: a new interpretation of royal Mamluk architecture". Islamic History and Civilization. 14. Leiden/New York: E.J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-10124-1.